our story
Benvenuti! Welcome to Paddington’s newest fine-diner, ATTIMI by Dario Manca. ‘Attimi’ translates to ‘moments’ in Italian. The restaurant’s aim is to indulge guests in an Italian-inspired Michelin-style experience, offering a variety of menus that deliver unique & memorable flavour moments. Dario & his team hope you enjoy experiencing them as much as they enjoy creating them!
LEAD STAFF
Dario - Founder, Director & Head Chef
Callum - Restaurant Manager & Sommerlier
Justine - Assistant Restaurant Manager
Miranda - Reservations & Events Co-ordinator, & Business Assistant
Meet the team
Dario
Founder, Director & Head Chef
Dario’s earliest childhood memories are of cooking. Growing up in the Northern Italian town of Omegna, Dario knew by the age of eight that he wanted to be a chef - shortly after began his internship at two Michelin star restaurant, ‘Villa Crespi,’ which became the catalyst to his noteworthy career to- date. From here, Dario continued to chase excellence & landed roles at ‘La Contrada’ by Gordon Ramsay, two Michelin starred ‘Met Restaurant’ by Corrado Fasolato, and ‘Apsley’s’ by Heinz Beck.
Dario travelled to Australia in 2013 and found a home on Sydney’s northern beaches, joining Giovanni Pilu’s two hatted restaurant ‘Pilu at Freshwater.’ The following four years saw him collect many accolades including Australia’s Best Young Chef of the Year (Cira edition), semi- finalist for San Pellegrino’s Best Young Chef in the World, and the award for Best Pasta in Australia (and Top 10 in the World) at the Barilla Pasta World Championship.
Dario moved to Brisbane in 2019 to head ‘Motorwagen’ Restaurant, followed by ‘ZaZaTa’ which saw him achieve Brisbane’s Best New Restaurant Opening of 2021 & an inclusion in Queensland’s Top 50 Restaurants. Later in this same year, he joined the Rosmarino Group overseeing popular Italian venue ‘Rosmarino’ & its sister bistro ‘Etna.’ Under Dario’s culinary guidance as Executive Chef, ‘Rosmarino’ was awarded in the Top 20 Best Brisbane Venues within one month of opening. After four years in this role, Dario decided it was finally time to open his first restaurant & turn a young boy’s dream into reality - and so, ATTIMI was born.
Callum
Restaurant Manager, Sommelier, Head Waiter
Bio coming soon!
Justine
Assistant Restaurant Manager, Waiter
Justine has become something of an ATTIMI service icon since joining the team in mid-2024. Originally hailing from Alsace (France), she was born into a family deeply rooted in hospitality - with grandparents, uncles & cousins running restaurants across France and Switzerland. Despite being the youngest member of ATTIMI’s family, Justine has waitressed in some of Brisbane’s most respected restaurants including Restaurant Dan Arnold, La Cache à Vin, and Rosmarino (where she originally worked alongside Dario).
Blending the best of her French heritage with a more relaxed & welcoming Australian nature, Justine’s service brings both tradition and innovation to every table. Her journey reflects a lifelong dedication to hospitality - driven by family, culture, and an enduring love for great food and the people who share it.
Miranda
Reservations & Events Co-ordinator, Business Assistant
Miranda met Dario in early 2024, & she joined the team behind-the-scenes when ATTIMI launched 6months later. With a tremendous green thumb, & flair for design decorating, Miranda aided the transformation of Given Terrace’s previous diner NOTA into the quirky yet elegant, flora-filled space that ATTIMI resides in today. She’s a ‘lady of all trades,’ overseeing various projects from emails, events, customer reviews, business outreach & industry exhibitions, to undertaking Bunnings & Officeworks shopping trips, to even painting & repairing parts of the building! And very occasionally you may catch her working the floor during service.
Miranda works at ATTIMI whilst juggling an additional career in veterinary science as a Veterinary Surgeon & General Practitioner. Having waitressed her way through high school & university at Italian & French restaurants, she’s enthusiastically re-entered the hospitality industry just for fun!